Can I charge the Prius Plug-in with 110v

Yes, it would just take about 3 hours (versus ~1.5 at 220v)

 

What is your home service, i.e. the amp rating of your main breaker? If it is only 60 to 100 amps, that is low for a modern house with all the gizmos we have these days. Then look into upgrading to a larger service and panel. Don't think of it as an extra cost for a car, but as investment into your home's value. Also use the time to install a whole house surge protector.

 

Level 1 charging:​

Most home garages and yards have a standard 120-volt electrical outlet. In the EV world, this is known as a Level 1 charging outlet. Generally, a Prius Plug-in owner could use this type of outlet to recharge the batteries (assuming the circuit could safely handle the load), but a full charge would take about 2.5 to 3 hours. Owners who want faster charging should consider a Level 2 charger.​

Level 2 charging:​

In many cases, an owner with a garage or yard could arrange to install a special circuit and equipment to deliver a 240-volt current to the car, cutting the recharge time in half. So, with Level 2 charging, a Prius
Plug-in could recharge in about 90 minutes. This drop in recharge time helps the vehicle fit better into an owner’s lifestyle and be ready when needed.​

 

A local electrician came out and checked my electrical box, breakers, etc and found that an existing outlet in the garage would easily handle the charging of my PiP.The existing outlet has only a sprinkler control box plugged into it, which draws only .1 amp.
There was no charge for doing this, and he said if for any reason I needed to install a new, dedicated outlet, he would charge $150. But in my case, there is room in the box for whatever he would need to do. I think he mentioned using a double breaker in place of one already there. Maybe something like that would work for you.
I would say the bottom line is call and ask an electrician to tell you what you need for charging at the 3 hour rate. My provider, So Cal Edison, asks that the customer consult an electrician prior to asking for an EV rate, as they have three options in that regard. Good luck.

 

wow, that's a great electrician! around here, they would want $150 just to come out and look.

 

does the quick charge reduce the life of the batteries at all?

 

The only note in the Owner's Manual about prolonging battery life in relation to charging was to allow the batteries to cool before charging.

Charging at 240V doesn't sound like it will stress the battery that much. If a full charge gives you 11 miles of range, then doing a full charge in 1.5 hours should be about as stressful as driving 11mi/1.5hrs = 7.3 mph.

 

If you have a 110-volt circuit that has other accessories on it, like a light or two you can use it for the PIP.You only need 12 amps to charge the PIP. Your breakers will be 15 or 20 amps on your 110-volt circuits leaving more then enough capacity.
You can also charge late at night when these same circuits aren’t in use. The slower you charge the traction battery the less heating or degradation is done over the long term. The Prius Plug In has a much smaller 4.4 KW. battery so it takes only 3 hours to charge. Charging at 220 volts is fine too, but it will generate more heat as the charge goes into the battery faster.

 

Back when I was really looking at the vehicle.. I put the call in to a local electrician.. he said he would have no problem coming to the house to check on my capacity to use a charger.. and that the most it would cost would be around 1K for a dedicated 220 v charger if I decided to go that route..

 

All, please direct me if my question is covered in a different posting. Do PiP owners who use 110/120V service to charge their PiP also use a surge protector between the plug and the PiP charging cable? Has anyone noticed any documentation from Toyota recommending one way or the other?

Thanks a bunch in advance -

 

DO NOT PLUG INTO A SURGE PROTECTOR OR EXTENSION CORD.
PLUG directly into the wall.
I have been advised this by a few folks.

 

Sounds good, thanks Dianne...

 

I use 120 right now but will be upgrading to 240 in a few weeks. I do not use a surge protector. I do use an extension cord (heavy gauge forget the thickness but was recommended by my electrician).

The 120 plug outside is grounded, on it's own circuit and has a GFCI. My electrician will be upgrading it to a 240 and I'm sending my evse to evse upgrades to convert it to 120/240 interchangeable. This is a cheaper option for the 240 capability.

 

just make sure you're plugging into a dedicated gfci circuit.

 

Yes, my outside plug is a dedicated GFCI with it's own circuit running to the new panel in back. My electrician just redid the panel and ran new circuits through the house about a year ago. I'm in an old midcentury with old wiring. It was time for an upgrade.

 

I bought a 2012 Prius plug-in yesterday and was hoping I could just install a 240 volt outlet in my garage similar to the one that powers electric dryers or water heaters. Does anyone know if this is possible? I don't want to spend $1000 just for charger, seems like overkill. Thank you.